Ex-minister Nandutu Convicted For Karamoja Iron Sheets Theft

KAMPALA,UGANDA; The Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court has convicted Agnes Nandutu, the Woman Member of Parliament for Bududa District and former State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, for the offence of dealing with suspect property. 

Justice Jane Okuo Kajuga ruled that Nandutu had sufficient reason to believe the materials were obtained through a corrupt process, noting they were stored at her private farm for months instead of being distributed. 

Court found that between June and July 2022, Nandutu received and retained 2,000 pre-painted iron sheets belonging to the government, marked “Office of the Prime Minister,” despite having reason to believe they had been irregularly obtained. 

According to prosecutors, the iron sheets were part of a government programme under the Office of the Prime Minister aimed at supporting disarmament and community empowerment in the Karamoja sub-region. 

The programme, funded under a supplementary budget of about Shs39.94 billion for the 2021/2022 financial year, involved the procurement of 95,044 iron sheets intended for distribution to vulnerable communities. 

Evidence presented in court showed that following a presidential launch of the distribution exercise in Moroto District on June 13, 2022, a balance of iron sheets remained in storage at OPM facilities in Namanve. 

The judge also noted that there was no documentary evidence, no formal request to the permanent secretary, and no departmental allocation justifying the release of the specific sheets to the Bududa region.

Although Nandutu, in her defence team, argued that the prosecution relied on assumptions rather than concrete evidence of “knowledge,” their arguments focused on the alleged political misdirection, professional marginalisation, and hostile environment, which the judge quashed.

Nandutu testified that she was informed by her senior minister, Mary Goretti Kitutu, that iron sheets had been allocated for the Bugisu/Bududa region. She also claimed she was “sidelined” in the ministry, with her duties restricted strictly to the education sector, meaning she was unaware of the broader Karamoja budget and work plans.

The defense pointed to “bad blood” between Nandutu and Kitutu as a reason for poor communication. Justice Okuo dismantled the defense’s claims, saying that the court found that the iron sheets were never intended for Bududa.

The court noted that while the Bududa district disaster management committee had verified victims, they testified that they only learned Nandutu possessed iron sheets when the scandal broke.

“It is shocking how casually the 2,000 iron sheets were allocated with no requisition… no documentary evidence indicating the purpose,” Justice Okuo noted.

Justice Okuo ruled that as a minister of state, Nandutu was privy to the ministry’s supplementary budget and the launch of the Karamoja program. The claim that she was relegated to “education only” was debunked by Joshua, a technical officer who testified he was assigned to guide her through the entire ministry’s operations.

The court found the delay in distributing the iron sheets from June until their recovery by the police to be “unjustifiable.” If they were truly meant for disaster victims, the justice Okuo reasoned, they would not have been stored on a private farm for months.